After months of hype, the Mitsubishi Pajero makes its official debut as the brand’s new off-road SUV.
It’s been a long time coming, but the resurrected Mitsubishi Pajero has finally arrived. If you’re in the U.S., it’s been even longer than that, because we haven’t had a dyed in the wool Pajero (or Montero, as we knew it) since 2006. The new fifth-generation model brings Mitsubishi a bit closer to its roots, though we are looking at a thoroughly modern interpretation of what the automaker aims to be a seriously capable rig…at least for those who will be able to buy it in the near future.
Right from the start, the new Mitsubishi Pajero brings a markedly different vibe to the rest of the brand’s SUV lineup. That’s obviously no accident, since the goal was to deliver a more rugged sort of option to the market from the moment Mitsubishi started teasing its development (and we saw spy shots to that effect). Straight lines from the grille design to the roofline to the rear end give the new Pajero one of the boldest looks we’ve seen out of Mitsubishi for awhile, but it’s what’s underneath that will really make or break this SUV’s chances of success as the off-roader for which enthusiasts have clamored for years.
Things are fortunately looking good on that front, at least on paper. You get a ladder frame that Mitsubishi says is more rigid compared to its past-generation trucks, as well as a solid rear axle. It does bring the brand’s well-known Super-All Wheel Control (S-AWC) to the equation, though it also adds another party trick you won’t see in your Outlander. That is Super Select 4WD-II, which the company says “balances outstanding off-road performance with ease-of-use in everyday driving”. To that, the Pajero also brings seven selectable drive modes and over 9 inches of ground clearance, and that figure clues you in as to which SUVs Mitsubishi is targeting here.
In short, you’re looking at an alternative to something like a Toyota Land Cruiser, since you do get double wishbone independent front suspension rather than stick axles at both ends. The idea, Mitsubishi says, is to balance on-road usefulness and practicality with off-road capability, though we’ll have to see exactly how well it manages both in due time. For the markets that will be able to buy the Pajero (i.e. Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East), you’ll get a 2.4-liter turbo-diesel engine paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Thanks in part to that boxy design, the 2027 Mitsubishi Pajero looks like it comfortably seats passengers across all its rows, including the third. Much like the old SUV we knew back in the day, this SUV seats up to seven, with the second row able to slide back and forth about six inches to make getting in and out easier.
With tan-hued upholstery spanning much of the Pajero’s interior, you get a far more premium look than Mitsubishis of old, be it on the door cards, instrument panel or the center console. You also get a proper gear selector rather than a dial (though you expectedly also don’t get a manual selector for four-wheel drive, as cool as that would be). There are dual 14.3-inch displays, with the center screen able to show a modern, digital interpretation of the old Pajero/Montero’s pitch/roll and altimeter gauges. More creature comforts like heated second-row seats and a 12-speaker audio system also make the new Mitsubishi Pajero one of its higher-end offerings, as well as one of its most off-road-capable.
Here’s the rub…
While the new Mitsubishi Pajero makes the right noises and looks like the sort of off-roader we’d love to have, it’s not coming to the United States. At least, not anytime soon — the consensus at the moment is that Mitsubishi will bring a North American version, rather than this Thailand-built Pajero, to our shores before 2030.
Now, if and when the new Montero does land over here, it may track closer to the next-generation Nissan Frontier than be a carbon copy of this unit. That said, Mitsubishi has been fairly mum on its product plans for an off-road SUV in America. The reason why could come down to two words: Nissan and Xterra.
We expect the new Nissan Xterra to hit the scene sometime around 2028, potentially as a 2029 model. Provided that time frame actually holds for the next couple years, it seems Nissan will go first in the launch cycle here. Then, after the Xterra has its time in the sun, we’ll get a new Mitsubishi Montero for North America around the end of the decade.
Not that Mitsubishi is asking me, but if you did…I’d say that is way too long. Off-road SUVs are the current hotness, and the automaker really needs this Montero here yesterday. Same goes for the new Nissan Xterra, for which Nissan is taking its own sweet time getting it to market. Here’s hoping that time is well spent as time in the oven to bring a damn good SUV to buyers who have had to wait much too long for the opportunity.
